Nebulizer



ug. 6, 1968 A. F. cHoulNARD ETAL 3,395,703

NEBULIZER Filed Oct. 22. 1965 MVM/m95.

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United States Patent Office 3,395,703 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 3,395,703NEBULIZER Alfred F. Chouinard, Chicago, and Allan E. Beeler,Beusenville, Ill., assignors to Chemetron Corporation, Chlcago, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,088 Claims.(Cl. 128--194) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nebulizer apparatus formedical use having a body containing the nebulizer assembly and collarat the bottom of the body engaging opposite sides of a deformable liquidcontainer and toggle clamps connected between the body and the collar tocompress the llange and to hold the nebulizer together as a unit.

This invention relates to a nebulizer by which gas such as oxygen, air,mixtures thereof or the like is mixed with water vapor or the like andthereafter administered to a patient.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a nebulizer having abody section and a collar by which a container, which is preferablydisposable in character, can be held in position. Opposite toggle clampssecured to the body section and to the collar can draw the collar andbody section together to deform, bend or otherwise reshape the ange ofthe container and releasably hold the collar, container and body sectiontogether as a unit.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a nebulizer in accordance with theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the nebulizershown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a clamp in clampingposition; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view showing the clamp in.

its unclamped position.

'Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a nebulizer generallyindicated at of the type disclosed in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,882,026 and3,075,523. The nebulizer 10 includes a body section 11 and a collar orring 12 for holding a cup or open-mouthed container 13. The body section11 is shown to be generally bell-shaped in appearance. The body section11 has a top portion 14 and an annular flange or skirt portion 14. Theskirt portion 14' terminates at a continuous annular shoulder 15 whichprovides a seat.

The collar 12 is annular and has a seat 16 at its upper or top surface.The container 13 is generally frustoconical in appearance. The container13 has an outwardly extending rolled lip or ange 17 at its open end. Asthe ange 17 is constructed of relatively thin somewhat resilientmaterial, the flange 17 is deformed when toggle clamps 18 and 19preferably opposite one another are moved to clamping position, thusforming an effective seal between the container 13, the 'body section 11and the collar 12 as they are held together as a unit, and in thisposition the body section 11 and the container 13 provide a chamber C.Outwardly extending upper ange portion 17' forms a seal with the seat 15which lower flange portion 17 forms a seal with the seat 16.

A nebulizer assembly 20 secured to the top portion 14 of the bodysection 11 has a tube 21 which extends down to the bottom of thecontainer 13 shown to hold liquid L to be vaporized. The nebulizerassembly 20 is shown to be connected to a rigid conduit 22 which may beconnected to a source of supply gas such as oxygen, air, mixturesthereof, or the like. Liquid L aspirated through the tube 21 isdischarged as tine mist and mixes with the gas. The nebulized mixture ofgas and liquid in the chamber C passes through an outlet conduit 23. Allexible conduit (not shown) can be connected at one end to the conduit23 and at its other end of a face mask (not shown).

As the clamps 18 and 19 are identical in construction only one is shownand described in detail for the sake of brevity. The clamp 18 lhas oneplastic part 24 and another plastic part 25, each being of unitaryconstruction. The part 24 has sections 26, 27 and 28, sections 26 and 27being connected by a hinge 29 and sections 27 and 28 being connected bya hinge 30. The section 26 is suitably secured to the body section 11,as by screws 31. The section 28 has a recess 32 into which the sections26 and 27 can be received as indicated in FIGURE 3. The hinge 30 isovercenter with respect to the heel or or support 30'. The part 25 hasan upstanding guide lug 25' which fits into, but does not bottom in, arecess 25 in the section 26. In the clamped position shown in FIG- URE 3for example the sections 27 and 28 are shown to be overcenter and hencehold the body section 11, the collar 12 and the container 13 in clampedposition. The section 28 has an inclined gripping surface 33 at the endof the recess for engaging depending projection 34 of part 25. Part 25is suitably secured to the collar 12 as by screws 35.

A combined pressure relief valve and whistle 36 secured to the topportion 14 relieves any excess pressure which may exist in the chamberC.

To connect the body section 11 and the container 13, the collar 12 isslipped around the container 13, with parts 25 aligned with parts 24respectively. The section 28 is hooked to the projection 34 and bytoggle action the clamps 18 and 19 are snapped into clamped position asindicated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. The clamps 18 and 19 can be releasedfrom clamping position for removal of the container 13.

Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as comewithin the spirit of this invention are included within its scope asbest delined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Nebulizer apparatus comprising: a container adapted to contain aliquid to be nebulized having an outwardly extending flange, said flangebeing thin and compressible, a body section having a skirt portionterminating in a seat adapted to engage one side of the flange, an inletfor passage of dry gas, and an outlet for passage of a mixture of liquidand gas, a liquid nebulizer mounted in the body and connected betweenthe inlet and the outlet, the nebulizer being adapated to entrainparticles of finely divided liquid in said gas, a collar having a seatadapted to engage another side of the flange of the container, means forclamping the container ange between the body seat and the collar seat,said clamping means including a pair of clamps disposed opposite eachother, each clamping means having a first part secured to said bodysection and a second part secured to said collar.

2. Nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said clamps are of the toggletype, and the container as disposable.

3. Nebulizer apparatus as claimed in claim 1 where said first part ofeach clamp includes a unitary member having lirst, second and thirdsections and a lirst hinge portion joins said irst and second sectionsand a second hinge portion joins said second and third sections, saidfirst section being secured to said body section, said second sectionhaving a heel, said heel being movable into engagement with the iirstsection for limiting the rotation of the second section about the tirsthinge, said second hinge being in an overcenter position with respect tothe t 3 rst hinge when the heel abuts the rst section, said`sec ond andthird sections cooperating to provide an overcenter lockingarrangemenL-'said third section having a gripping surface and a recessfor receiving the second and third sections when the second hinge ismoved to the overcenter position, and wherein said second part of eachclamp includes a depending projection, said depending projection beingengageable by said gripping surface so that respective second and thirdsections of each clamp can 4be moved to overcenter position to hold theclamp in clamped position.

4. Nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lbody section has acontinuous, downwardly facing shoulder against which the flange of thecontainer can seat.

5. Nebulizer apparatus comprising: a body section having an inlet forpassage of dry gas and an outlet for passage of a mixture of gas andliquid and having an annular skirt portion terminating at an annularseat, a liquid nebulizer mounted in the body section lbetween the inletand outlet and adapted to entrain particles of finely 20 divided liquidin the gas, a plastic container having a hook-shaped, relatively thinannular flange adapted to seal at one of its sides with said body seat,said container adapted to contain liquid to 4be vaporized, an annularcollar having a seat a-t one end adapted to form a seal with anotherside of s aid flange, said flange being compressible, and meanssecuredpartly to said body section and partly to said collar to urge saidcollar and said body section toward each other to compress said flangeand to releasably hold said collar, said container and said Ibodysection together as a unit.

References' Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD A. GAUDET, PrimaryExaminer. W. E. KAMM, Assz'slant Examiner.

